Orphans Beloved- Cold River
by regertz
Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved and Sheldon Swifties bits in my Buffyverse and Sheldonverse, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later. Note-The Cold River Institute has its last gathering...


Orphans Beloved: "Cold River…"

Summary: Like my Immortal Beloved and Sheldon Swifties bits in my Buffyverse and Sheldonverse, these are fragments and short bits, some longer…Just to fiddle with ideas, possibly forming longer tales later.

Disclaimer: No copy write infringement intended…

Note-There are always these minor consequences to any great advances in Science.

Dyad Institute, older research wing…

"I want those babies!" screams Westmoreland, gun held to Sarah's head as Neo fanatic cop Maddie, leering, holds her as well. His other last two hulking faithfuls standing by, guns drawn.

"Piss bloody off!" Sarah, squirming in the joint grip… "Helena! Run!"

A weary Helena, seated on gurney, holding the wrapped, crying infants in her arms, wryly shrugs. "Sestra…Even I can't work the miracle…But thanks." Eyeing the furious Westmoreland… "I know you…"

"Do you?" sneer. "Sorry there's no time for the amenities, give us those babies! Or this lab rat dies!" he indicates Sarah.

"Don't Helena! Just go! He won't shoot, he can't risk killing the twins."

"Oh, I think one dead wouldn't be a prob…" Gunshot. One of the guards drops. All turning to look…

"Always so impulsive, John. I suppose that's why Susan was attracted to you…" a quiet voice. Westmoreland and Sarah turning to face the entering Ethan Duncan, next to Art Bell.

"Don't, Bell!" Maddie cries, gun pointed, but keeping a grip on Sarah, the other guard covering Helena.

She offering icy glare…You threaten me babies? But too exhausted to do more yet…

"Halt!" Maddie called, trying to hold Sarah while aiming.

"Wait, dear. Ethan, as I live and breathe…" Westmoreland, thin smile to the approaching Duncan. "Not dead?"

"I still had a few things to do and a friend or two here at Dyad who didn't approve of jailing and murdering fellow scientists." Duncan shrugged. "So it was you, all the time, John? And here I'd thought Aldous Leekie my nemesis. Though I suppose I'm not really surprised, in hindsight."

"You were a fool, Ethan. Susan and I always agreed you were a fool. You had the secret in your hand, what we'd all dreamt of, all those years." Westmoreland, grimly. "Thank God she at least was wise enough then to see the future, to…" cough…

"Don't, Manning…" Maddie puts her gun to her head. "The Doctor may be ill but I'm not."

"Hardly wisdom considering her fate, my poor Susan." Sigh by Ethan. "I never wanted to open that box, John. I only wanted to help the children…Make them whole. I thought LEDA would be the window to that."

"'Help the children'.,," sneer. "If Susan were here to hear your twaddle. We always laughed at it, you know. Helping those degenerates…The unfit…"

"What a wonderful Nazi you'd've made, John." Ethan sighed. "I could forgive you and Susan…She 'd a right to make her own choices as to romance, wise or no. But I can't forgive you or her for betraying those children, and mine."

"The Cold River Institute…" Sarah looked over. "The children there…"

Ethan nodded…"I, and a few others among us I still believe, hoped to right the wrongs done there, in the worst days of the eugenics movement, help them one day, even if some among us were strict eugenicists. LEDA might have done so before Dyad seized control and Susan…" sigh… "Faked her willingness to help me steal back the science. She needed my synthetic sequences."

"We did…Once…" Westmoreland shrugs. "They're secondary now…I will shoot our little experiment if you take another step, you, or our stalwart detective Bell." He noted grimly to them.

"I should have guessed it was you, John…But Susan did a fine job of implicating Leekie. So you took on the persona of Westmoreland, in the end." he eyed Westmoreland. "Tell me, did you know I wasn't dead then?"

"No." thin smile… "Else I would have had you tracked down and tortured into giving up your precious sequences. Or had Susan tortured in front of you, to induce you…She would have allowed it, you know, she believed in our goals that firmly…"

"Poor girl…" sigh. "Her mania even overcame her love for our Rachel. But even I, then…Sometimes couldn't see beyond the excitement of cracking the secrets to our girls. John, is this what all our goals sank down to, in you? Preserving your miserable life?"

"Only I have the strength…None of you were worthy members of Cold River…Only I have kept faith…"

"Yes…" Helena gasped. "You were with him…Swan Man, Father…At the House of Screams…Maggie Chen showed me the Devils in photograph, you were among them."

"Maggie Chen…" sneer. "Weak fool…Like Johannesen…Though at least he wasn't stupid enough to wish to destroy the work. 'This is against God' that silly fool told Aldous Leekie that day at Dyad, after Susan tried to stop you from destroying years of work. You betrayed Cold River, Ethan!"

"A secret society we formed as a lark, John… Scared to death of the Cold War. Convincing ourselves that we alone could save Humanity from itself."

"And I will! I will sweep aside the chaff and begin anew! As the founders of Cold River, as Westmoreland himself intended."

"A group of vain, fearful students resurrecting a nightmare…Though most of us intended it to redeem Science for Cold River, not betray those children yet again…"

"You saw it as a lark, Ethan when you weakened…A bit of fool do-goodism…Susan and I, we believed in it…Always!"

"Are you sure you shouldn't add 'Heil Hitler' to that, John?" Duncan smiled quietly.

"The tools our ancestors worked with, those we used in the 70s, those I use today, don't matter…Hitler, Stalin, the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and the Feebleminded…Topside…All that matters is that we remain true to the vision of Cold River…" Westmoreland insisted.

"Lies, John…Pointless lies…"

"From those…Lies…Neolution rose! LEDA and CASTOR rose!"

"Castor…" shake of head. "John, you're going to die, despite all this…Waste."

"Not for some considerable time unless you want poor Kira's mother dead. Helena?" he addressed her… "Your babies for your twin. Hand them over, now!"

"You're not getting her babies…" Sarah insisted. "Helena, take care of Kira!" she grabbed for the gun Maddie held at her head, catching her fixed on Westmoreland.

"Don't be a fool!" Maddie cried, struggling with Sarah for the gun… "You little sewer rat!" Westmoreland cried, moving to try to grab Sarah, as Art and Ethan hurried forward. "Sarah, no!" Art cried. "Sarah!" Ethan as well…

"Shoot Helena! Take the babies!" Westmoreland cried to the remaining guard who collapsed at Art's shot. Art struck by a bullet from Maddie as she wrenched her gun from Sarah…Groaning as he fell…

Maddie again shoving gun at Sarah's head…

"Stop!" Helena cried. "I would kill babies before letting them be taken by you…Believe me, Devil. That is my swear oath!" she held the now mewing babies close…

Westmoreland eyeing her as Maddie held Sarah with gun to head…Ethan now at Art's side, Art struggling to keep gun trained on Westmoreland…

"I can still shoot your little god, ." he noted to Maddie who glared.

"A 'good cop' like you, Art?" she cooed. "I don't…" Gunshot grazing Westmoreland's arm, he groaning.

"Shoot…" he gasped, clutching arm.

"Next one's through his heart or his head!" Art cried.

"I'll kill you and Manning if you do!" Maddie returned.

"Wait!" Westmoreland raised hand. "Ethan, tell your friend to restrain himself, if you want Sarah alive!"

"He'll kill me anyway, Art!" Sarah called.

"Let her go or babies die!" Helena holding the babies. "And I with them…They will be better off, safe with Mama and me! Death is better for them then your Hell!"

Mama, forgive unworthy daughter…Protect your grandbabies' souls if we must die here, now…

"Standoff, John…" Ethan noted calmly. "You can't afford to lose your only hope…"

"There's still Kira!" Westmoreland fumed.

"You'll never get near her again, bastard!" Sarah cried.

"But these are unique…Helena?" Ethan looked over. "Don't just yet darling, we're still negotiating."

"Father…" nod.

"Thank you, my dear…" he smiled wanly. "Not a title I deserve, but thank you."

"No more nonsense! The babies or Manning!" Westmoreland insisted.

"Art, you can't last long…" Maddie noted to Art who still trained gun on Westmoreland. "He needs a doctor, Dr. Duncan…" mocking smile.

"I will stay…Sarah takes babies, you still have me." Helena offered.

"No, dear…Not quite good enough an offer." Westmoreland shrugged. "Admirable self-sacrifice, of course."

"Something you could never understand, John." Ethan noted. "That was one thing that always formed a bond between you and Susan, your mutual fear of death."

"Pointless waste, Ethan…For people like us to die…" Westmoreland noted. "We, whose value is limitless, the superior…"

"Ha, ha, ha, ha…" Helena chuckled. "You, superior? You are horse shit, unfit for family or life. Pathetic. Me sestras I killed had more the courage in their toes and fingers than you in body."

Uhhn…Art groaned, crumpling… Maddie quickly taking aim at Duncan, seeing an opportunity.

Gunshot…She falling as Art straightened in triumph, then fell.

"Art!" "Arthur!" Sarah, Helena…As Maddie gasped out her last breaths, Westmoreland quickly grabbing her gun even as Sarah broke from him. She hurrying to Art… "Art, Art..." He looking up at her... "Beth..."

"I'm here, Art...My Art..." she did her last Beth as he died.

"Stop! Fools…I'm offering you Immortality…In a perfect world…" Westmoreland pointing gun at Helena…

"Shoot, Devil…" Helena shrugged. "Sarah, take my babies and raise them like you did our angel! Forgive me for Mama, I know now what she tried to do for us!"

Gunshot…Westmoreland gasping, falling to knees… "No…" he moaned…. "No…"

"You forgot I wasn't a bad shot at grouse hunting on those winter mornings back in Cambridge, John." Ethan noted, lowering Art's gun. "'Harry Percy, thou are dust and food for…'…Remember when we did 'Henry IV' that year, you played Falstaff of all people…"

"I…Can't…Die…No…." Westmoreland crumpled, dead.

" 'For worms, dear Percy.'" Ethan noted calmly. "For worms…"


End file.
